ADVOCATE for all members

ADVOCATE for accused individual to ensure due process and Natural Justice in the L.P. disciplinary process.

A good few LP members are aware of the `purge` and some of the effect it had on members. They are aware of the ridiculous 6 month freeze date and the court case that followed that.

They are aware they even tried to `purge` Jeremy Corbyn himself from the ballot box and the court case that followed that. Many are aware that there were grave errors where people were expelled for the most ridiculous of reasons, for example retweeting a Green Party tweet, or `Liking` a Green Party Facebook post.

Many people were suspended for not just spurious but for completely unfounded reasons and have subsequently had their suspension lifted. All these people had their money taken, but their rights removed and that included their voting rights. The whole machinery behaved in a clumsy callous and indifferent manner.

Regardless of whether you can find the occasional `legitimate` justification for issuing a Warning letter, out of 400 members (of a support group of 950 of which a third were not themselves expelled or suspended but are incensed by the appalling attitude of the NEC regarding the disciplinary procedures of the LP) I have not heard of even ONE that justified anything other than a Warning letter at most. I would even argue that even of those were that could be argued the justifiable proportionate response would have been simply to send a letter of Advice.

A good few members were suspended because the Party machinery decided they had made abusive comments on Twitter or Facebook. Here`s the thing: virtually all of those were made during the sickening and patronising coup attempt by the PLP, during which time the M.P.`s responsible went direct to the Press, even arranged timings of release of their notice of resignation through the Press rather than to the Party machinery. A number of these MPs referred to the influx of new members of the Party as trots rabble dogs – a sickening dismissive and patronsing assault by them on a new membership so energised by the hope that politics could be accessible to them by a team that didn`t posture and didn`t play the game of spin that politics in this country has become and that has left the public losing hope that we can have a Party that works for the many and not the few – where at best the L.P. maneuvered the neoliberal system to give us a few extra crumbs. The influx were moved by the integrity that seemed to be emerging. And what they got was a slap in the face. I am one such person, and I am shocked by what I experienced and what I have found from how the LP establishment have dealt with this.

In fact the establishment LP did nothing to stop the destructive actions of the M.P.s, and in a number of ways they exacerbated it – not least of all by imposing such a ridiculous freeze date, increasing the supporters fee from £3 to £25, and then across the board suspensions, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS, when the members complained vehemently against it. Against the injustice of the LP establishment and against the duplicity and the treacherous actions of the coup MPs. Yes, many members were vocal, yes many members sent insulting tweets – BUT they were NOT abusive, and furthermore, for example, using the word `traitor` to describe the actions of some of the 172 was a legitimate and genuine expression of what they saw happening.

Now we have the NEC saying they are determined that this abuse of members, the manipulating of the disciplinary rules in this way will not happen again and they themselves are deciding what will and won`t happen the next time. WOW, so we have the equivalent of the police policing themselves. The very people who caused the problem, which is ongoing, are deciding they will merely make a declaration that they won`t do it again.

NOPE soz – that ain`t good enuff! We demand that all and every aspect of the disciplinary procedure is overseen by a peership – members outside of the inner circle and the NEC who have destroyed so much of the trust given them. Anything less allows them the ability to do the same again and again and again. They were entrusted to take exceptional action where necessary. Guess what? It was assumed that should such an occasion arise they would do so with respect for due process and natural justice. They rode, and continue to ride, roughshod over it all. Members are still left suffering from the effect of this callousness. The Party still refusing to answer questions of the general process they adopted, and still refusing to supply details of accusations.

THIS HAS TO STOP AND IT HAS TO STOP NOW.

At this point in time we demand that a crucial element is incuded NOW as an intrinsic part of the disciplinary process from the very moment that an issue arises. That is that the member concerned is advised immediately that they are under investigation and that they have the right to appoint an ADVOCATE. That Advocate is there to ensure that the whole mechanics of the process, and every last person involved on every level and from every aspects behaves in a manner that defers to due process and natural justice.

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NOT GUILTY – I will not accept NEC `warning`

I have a number of friends who were Owen Smith supporters and who probably believed the hype about "nasty Corbyn supporters".

But when I got suspended they were genuinely shocked. I have had offers from them wanting to act as a character witness for me. Very sweet of them, but I have never done abuse.

Whilst waiting outside the B'ham hustings (I didn't get a ticket) while some were booing Owen Smith and calling him a traitor, I shook his hand and welcomed him and genuinely told him it was nice to meet him. It's who I am and how I am. At 55 I am hardly going to change now.

But that is not the same as "rolling over". Far from it. When I feel strongly about an injustice I do not let go. It is usually about other people, but this time I guess I am the one feeling oppressed!

One of Thousands

No Natural Justice.

No Due Process.

Rebecca:

I was suspended near to the end of the 2nd election campaign, just two days after I finally got an email vote and voted Corbyn!

I haven't had any explanation, and to be left like this in limbo, I consider an insult to all my efforts in supporting and working with Labour (mobilisation officer for In Campaign in my area) campaigning, attending meetings, standing up for Jeremy Corbyn as leader.

Just to be left like this, really hurts.

Conditions of Lifting Suspensions

In a further crass decision by the NEC they are now lifting suspensions by proclaiming a person guilty and giving them a WARNING and also informing members that `it will be left on file for future reference`!

It is disturbing that the L.P. have zero respect for due process and natural justice.

We have dozens of people who have been sent no evidence of their alleged crime, given no right of reply - and yet the NEC act as a combined judge jury and executioner.

NO CHECKS NO BALANCES

Suspended for FOUR MONTHS for a tweet that was not abusive and most definitely fair comment:

Addressed to one of the resigning MPs, the text was: '@RhonddaBryant Thanks for the long pompous resignation letter. If only you could shit outside the tent instead of in it! Bye'.

Now 4 months later they receive this:

"I am pleased to inform you that your administrative suspension from the Labour Party has been lifted and that you are now free to resume active membership. You were suspended following posts you allegedly wrote on Social Media which may have caused offence to some members.

The NEC has since taken into account the wider context in which your comments were made and has seen fit to lift your suspension with immediate effect. We welcome you back to full membership of the Party".

I think it is crucial to demand an apology. This should, at most , have been put in a file to issue a possible warning (and then dismissed) - certainly not instant suspension for abuse.

Unacceptable ‘un-suspension’ letter

Philip William:

I got my ‘un-suspension’ letter today :

I was suspended on a whim for something that was obviously not worth a suspension, but which could serve as a useful pretext to remove a Corbyn supporter’s vote from him? They cashed my £10.00 cheque for my SAR a couple of weeks ago, so I hope this will shed more light when it eventually comes through. Iain McNichol ‘welcome[s me] back to full membership of the Party’. I’ll bet he does as well!

I am fuming that this was quite obviously a trumped up charge that some over enthusiastic compliance officer has just acted on without due care. I’ve missed the leadership election, my branch meetings and my CLP AGM as a result of this suspension. It doesn’t even say what the allegation is. I cannot WAIT for my SAR to come through. They cashed the cheque a couple of weeks ago so they had better send me one.

I’ve missed the leadership election, my branch meetings and my CLP AGM as a result of this suspension. It doesn’t even say what the allegation is. I cannot WAIT for my SAR to come through. They cashed the cheque a couple of weeks ago so they had better send me one.

Philip William`s ‘un-suspension’ letter

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THE NEC and McNicol must be called to Book NOW – such gross incompetence and injustice evidenced, and yet STILL they continue

One extraordinary illustration of the incompetence and unfairness overseen by Iain McNicol is a case where a member was purged because of a retweet ... BUT McNicol hadn`t even bothered to check the identity of the person.

Someone obviously had searched twitter for the person`s name to find something to report him for. AND they found someone of that name and reported him and he was purged. BUT it wasn`t him, it was an American of the same name.

So, maybe you think that`s a one off, and is the worse it can get? NOPE. Today we learnt of someone who was suspended for allegedly `paying for a vote`!

Now no-one paid for a vote anyway but what makes this extra extraordinary is that this person knew nothing about the offer to pay for people`s groceries.

Guess what - they lifted his suspension BUT they have given him a Warning and `case left on file`!